Published: September 12, 2009 09:29 pm      

Racedog a winner in new owner’s heart

Instead of a box of oranges, Tracy Larsen brought back a lovely memento from her trip to Florida — a rescued greyhound.

The sleek, gentle dog is living the good life: a comfy home instead of a racetrack, and a warm coat for the Illinois winters.

“I think they’re great pets,” Larsen said of the breed, adding that Hontas tends to be quiet and laidback.

In fact, she gets along with people so well that she became a certified therapy dog, and visits residents at Colonial Manor, the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System and Vermilion Manor once a month.

Larsen’s other dog, Riley, has helped Hontas adjust to life as a house pet.

Riley, 6, is a mix of Lab and Shar-Pei, who was adopted from the Vermilion County Animal Shelter when he was 10 weeks old.

Larsen had a Shar-Pei in the past, who lived to be 11 years old, although the breed tends to have health problems.

Larsen had always been interested in greyhounds. A year ago, she went to a dog track in Naples, Fla., and happened to meet 2-year-old Hontas, who was up for adoption.

Hontas, which is short for Pocahontas, ran under the name Magic Hontas in 10 races. However, her record wasn’t good: Dogs that don’t place better than fifth are put up for adoption.

It was love at first sight, Larsen said, describing her reaction when she met the brindle greyhound.

Like all race dogs, Hontas has tattoos in her ears. A greyhound’s left ear has the litter registration number, which is assigned by the National Greyhound Association. The tattoo in the right ear identifies a specific puppy in that litter, and identifies the month and year of birth and the order in which it was tattooed.

The rescue group that handled the adoption flew Hontas to Chicago. However, the plane was delayed in Detroit, and there was a bad snowstorm that day. Larsen waited several hours for Hontas’ flight to arrive, and then the dog slept all the way to her new home in Tilton.

“She’d never been in a car or house or had toys,” Larsen said. “It was a rough couple of weeks.”

Hontas had never seen snow before, and she had never met a dog of a different breed, such as Riley. She chewed up a few of Larsen’s possessions, such as shoes, in those first weeks.

Hontas won’t lie on concrete, so Larsen has to bring a rug to obedience classes. She doesn’t sit and she doesn’t go up or down stairs, nor does she try to get up on the furniture.

“She isn’t small-animal friendly at all, and can catch birds in mid-flight,” Larsen said.

In the winter, Hontas wears a coat, but she doesn’t stay outside long anyway.

Hontas is normally quiet, although Riley has taught her to bark at cars going past in the alley at home.

She has the run of a fenced-in yard and goes on daily walks. Larsen especially is interested in seeing the Fetch Dog Park open.

“I think it will be great when it opens, especially for people who don’t have fenced-in yards and a chance to let dogs off the leash,” she said.

Greyhounds can run 45 miles per hour, she said, so she takes care that Hontas doesn’t get loose. The dog did get out of the yard one time, but she was found the next street over.

Both Hontas and Riley have been to obedience class, but Riley is too jumpy to be a therapy dog, Larsen said.

Hontas is good in her job as a therapy dog, and sometimes lays her head on a person’s lap.

Overall, Larsen recommends people rescue dogs and adopt from shelters, as they make good pets that are grateful to have a loving home.

Larsen is in charge of the box office and concessions at the David S. Palmer Arena.

Hontas is a lucky dog that her work days are over, and she can relax in Larsen’s home — where she’s loved for herself, and not how much money she can bring in.

If you would like to have your pet featured, contact Mary Wicoff at 477-5161, send an e-mail to mwicoff@dancomnews.com or write to Commercial-News, 17 W. North, Danville, IL 61832.